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Playing With The Elements
"A youth coach must be able to manipulate obstacles flexibly (make them easier or more difficult) so that the children can progress methodically." Coaching Soccer
Small sided games are not "the answer" to soccer training. They are simply a tool for coaches to use in their efforts to help their players "play better soccer." No single game will cure every ill, but, a number of games along with the correct coaching can work wonders for the majority of players in many situations.
The games will take different forms and each form will need to be changed, adjustments will have to be made. This, playing with the elements, is essential to the learning process. When a game is introduced it is in its simplest form. During the introductory phase the children simply become familiar with the structure, organization, goals and rules. The objectives and resistance are made to insure that the children have to solve the correct soccer problem without too much difficulty. As they progress the resistance must become greater, more match like.
The opposite holds true. A game might prove to be too difficult. The children cannot learn about the soccer problem because they cannot get to it. In this case the game can be simplified, the resistance lessened, in order to accommodate the coaching point. In both examples, the coach makes adjustments to the existing structure in order to make the message of the session clear.
Having the correct resistance is essential for learning to take place. Too little is as bad as too much. Learning is more about developing the mentality than it is about developing the body.
Constructing a small sided game should proceed in a logical order. The following shows such an order.
Identify the problem. The first concern is to address a real problem. What is the game supposed to fix? The answer can be found in how the children play soccer and what is the most important thing they need to learn in order to play better.
What players are concerned? Who owns the problem? Is it an individual, a small group or the whole team? Numbers play a very important part in constructing a game and the numbers are directly related to the problem at hand.
What goals should be used? The players must have an objective to work towards. The objective, (goal) should be realistic and meaningful for the players in question and be related to their problem.
Field. When the problem, number of players and the type of goals are known a field can be constructed. The dimensions and alignment can be set.
Rules. Adding or changing a rule is a quick way to test how the game is going. They can help to keep the focus on exactly what the game is supposed to teach.
Ball. There are some situations that might be helped by changing or modifying the ball.
The elements of the game can be manipulated to suit a need. The pages below contain some examples of how they can be changed in order to create various problems/solutions. Each game represents a different form and learning can be achieved by mastering the basic forms. In many cases more than one element will need to be adjusted in order to get the right effect in the game. Playing with the elements uses the principle of overload. While this principle is most closely associated with weight training or running it can be applied to small sided games.
The Principle Of Overload
1) Number of repetitions. What is the work to rest ratio? If three teams are playing a tournament against each other than the W-T-R ratio is two games to one rest in a cycle. In a reload game it can be the number of times that certain players start in specific positions. Simply playing a basic form over time allows the players to proceed through the different stages of learning. Adding repetitions can increase resistance, or overload, as fatigue sets in and concentration slips.
2) Speed of repetitions. How fast is the game? What is the speed of play? Playing a game with a "new ball in" removes the down time that retrieval brings. Players don't get to wait around while someone chases the ball, the game restarts immediately.
3) Length of the repetition. Playing 2v2 for 2 minutes is much harder than playing for 20 seconds. The physical and mental demands are greater. Too long, however, is counter productive. Once the players have become totally fatigued learning ceases.
4) Decreasing the rest period. Shortening the breaks between activities is a step in efficient planning and increasing the load that the players have to carry. When playing with a "new ball in" the time between the ball going out of play and the new one put into play can be shortened. Going from a three second delay to a one second delay makes the players work that much harder.
5) Increasing the resistance. Making one or both teams play with a handicap. Changing the rules, teams, field or ball so that the game becomes conditioned favoring one team or a particular problem.